Door



Oct. 3, 1933. 1

H. T. ANDERSON DOOR Filed July 25. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 3, 1933. H. T. ANDERSON DOOR Filed July 23. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 `7lNvENToR Oct. 3, 1933. H. T. ANDERSON DOOR Filed July 2:5, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fz'y INVENTOR Patented ct. 3, 1933 N UNITED `STATES PATENTl OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to doors and more particularly to fabricated metal side doors for railway freight cars.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved metal freight car door that shall be simple in construction and easily manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door for freight cars that shall be fabricated from metalplates reinforced at their edges and 1U throughout the body of the'iplates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway car door constructed of plates or sheets of metal, the ends of which sheets or plates are shaped to form an `angle section and having 1 vertical door stiffener members secured to the inside of the ends of angle shape.

Anda still further object of the invention is to protect the frame structureof the side doors against the corrosive action of weather conditions.

Other objects of the invention will Vappear to those skilled in the art fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying .drawings in which Figure l is a ypartial view in front elevation of a car having a door constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial view in section taken on line 2--2 of Figure l of the door structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is apartial view'in section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 of a car provided with the door structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of a gusset'plate for the door.

Fig. 5 isa side view of the gusset plate.

Fig. 6 is a partial view in vertical section of a` car provided with the sliding door shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive and Fig. 7 is a. partial view of the top of the door showing a top door guide in front elevation. Y

Referring to the drawings, a freight car having adoor opening 1 in a side wall 2 thereof is provided with a sliding door 3 constructed in accordance with the invention. The wall 2 of the car is only partially illustrated, as the details of construction thereof are believed not tov be essential to the description of the invention. Therefore, only such details of the car wall construction are shown as may illustrate the rela- 5 disposed door posts 4 and 5 of substantially ution of the side door 3'to the car wall, the features (Cl. 18S-446)r shape are provided and constitute a part of the side wall structure of the car. The door post 4 differs from the post 5 in that an outer leg of the former is provided with a flange 6 of sub-Y stantially U-shape in transverse section. The outer leg 7 of the flange 6 is flared or bent outwardly in order to provide such co-operation with the door, when closed, that the left side of the door will be held tightly and firmly against the side wall of the car, and that the joint between the side of the door and the door post will be Weather proof.

The weight of the door 3 may be supported on rollers 9 rotatably mounted on shafts 10 that may be secured to the bottom of the car and 7U below the bottom of the'door opening 1. A door supported in this manner is said to be bottomhung. It is' to be understood, however, that the door may be top-hung, if desired.

The door 3 comprises horizontally extending panels 11, 12 and 13 placed one above the other, the adjacent edges being overlapped and secured together by rivets 14 or by any other suitable means as welding. The overlapped edges of the panels 12 and 13 are pressed inwardly at 15 and 16 in order that the portions of the panels adjacent to the lap joints will lie in substantially the same plane.

In order that the body of the several panels may be rigid and stiff and thereby resistant'to buckling, the body portion of the several panels is pressed inwardly, as shown at 1'7, and theA ends 18 and 19 ofthe respective panels are bent inwardly'at substantially right angles with respectV to the body of the panels. The shape of the ends of the panels is therefore, Asubstantially that of an angle of which the ends 18 and 19 constitute the legs of the respective sections. A door constructed of panels so shaped is stift and rigid because the sides of the door are of angle shape in horizontal section and the body of the door is of channel section at the several lap joints and at the margin of the panels adjacent the vertical sides of the door (see Figs. 2 and 3).

In order to stiffen the sides of the door, doorv stiiiening members 20 and 21 are provided. The stiffening member 20 is of angle shape in section, the section comprising legs 22 and 23. The leg 22 of the door stiffening member 20 is disposed on the inside of the ends or legs 18 of the panel and secured thereto by rivets 24, 'although' Welding may be employed to secure the member 20 to the legs of the panels, if desired. vSince the ends or legs 18 of the panels are disposed on the outside of the leg 22 of the stiifening member 20, 110

of the car and is disposed to register' with or fit into the channel of the leg or iiange 6 of U-,shape of the door post 4, the leg 23 being guided thereinto by the ared portion 7 of the leg or flange.

The door stiffening member 21 is also of angle shape in section and comprises legs 25 and' 26.

The leg 26 is preferably of substantially U--shape in section in order to provide a vertically extending channel for receiving leg 27 of the door postv 5 when the door is closed. One side of the U- shaped leg 26 is flared or bent inwardly towards the side wall of the car in order that theleg `27 of the door post 5 may be guided in the channel of the U-shaped leg or flange 26 and thereby pull the door inwardly towards .the side wall 2 of the car when the door is closed.. Also, the flange 27 and the ilange 26 co-operate to provide a weather proof joint at the right side of the door, when the door is closed. f

Since, when the door 3 is closed, the door posts 4 and 5 and the door stiflening members 29 and 21 co-operate to provide weather-proof joints at the sides of the door opening, rain, snow, burning cinders and the like are excluded from the inside of the car.

To further strengthen or stiifen the sides of the door 3, gusset plates 29 and 30 are provided. The gusset plates 29 are placed over the lap joints of the panels and secured both to the panels and the legs 22 and 25 of the door stiffening members 20 and 21. The door stiffening members are thereby prevented from turning about a vertical axis adjacent tothe sides of the door when the door is closed or if the door is jammed, upon the opening of the door.

kThe gusset plates 29 may be of pan shape (see Figs. 4 and 5) and constructed from a blank of metal drawn or pressed into the shape or form as shown, having an end wall 3l, side Walls 32 and a bottom wall 33. The bottom wall 33 is secured to the panels at the lap joints and the end wall 31 thereof is secured to the door stiiening members (see Figs. 1 and 3) by rivets 34. The rivets extend through the end wall 31 of the gusset plates, the legs 22 and 25 of the door stiff-v ening members and the ends 1,8 and 19 of the several panels 11, 12 and 13.

The gusset plates 30 may be made from a blank of metal having one edge thereof bent at right angles to the body of the blank so that the plates may be secured both to the door stiiening members and the lower corners of the panel 11.

If the door 3 is of the bottom-hung construction shown in the drawings, the bottom of the door may be provided with a rail 35 that extends across the full width of the door and maybe secured to the panel 11 by rivets or by welding. The rail 35 is substantially of Z-shape in section (see Fig. 6) and comprises vertical and depending legs 36 and 37 connected by a horizontal web 38. The vertical leg 36 may be secured to the bottom edge of the panel 11 and on the inside face thereof by rivets 39. Since the vertical leg 36 of the rail 35 is secured to the inside face of the panel 11, the joint between the leg 36 and the panel 11 is protected from the corrosive action of weather conditions; The horizontal web 38 of the rail 35 is disposed to travel over the rollers 9 as the door is moved alongthe side of the car and the depending Ilange 37 acts as a guide for the bottom of the door because it is positioned between the side wall of the car and the rollers 9.

In order that the bottom of the door may be rigid and stiff and to prevent the lower edge of the panel 11 fromv buckling about a hori- Zontal axis, a stiilening plate 41 is provided. One edge of the stiifening plate 41 is riveted to the door panel 11 and the opposite edge thereof is riveted to the dependingy Harige 37 of the rail 35. The stiffening plate 41 extends across the full width of the door along the bottom edge of the panel 11.

The top edge of the panel 13 of the door 3 'isprovided with a stiffening member 42 of substantially Z-shape in section that extends across the full width of the door and is secured to the top edge of the panel 13 by means of rivets 43. As shown, one edge of the stiffening member 42 overlaps the top edge of the panel 13 on the outside face thereof, thereby protecting lthe upper edge of the panel from the corrosive action of rain, moisture or other weather conditions.

In order that the top edge of the panel 13 may be rigid and stili?, so as to prevent itr from buckling about a horizontal axis, stifening plates 44 are provided. The stiffening plates 44 may be equally spaced along the top of the doorand any number of Yplates may be employed according to the requirements. Oneend of the several stiffening plates 44 is secured to an upwardly extending flange 45 of the stiffening member 42 and the opposite end thereof may be secured to the panel 13 ofthe door.

At predetermined points along the stifening member 42, top-door guiding members 47 may be secured (see Figs. 1, 6 and 7). The members 47 may be slotted at 48 in order to provide fmgers or prongs 49 and 50. The prongs 49 may be bent inwardly towards the flange 45 of the door stiffening member 42 and riveted thereto by rivets 51 and the finger or prong 50 may be bent outwardly for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth. The distancejbetween the prongs 49 and 50 as viewed from Fig. 6 may be of any value depending upon the amount of lateral movement of the top of the door, with respect to the side of the car, that is permissible for any given condition or requirement. The prongs 49 and 50 when viewed from the top of the door maybe said to be bent inwardly and out-` wardly in staggered relation so as to provide a passageway therebetween of substantially U-shape in section, (see Fig. 6). The bottom edge of the several top-door guide members 47 maybe secured to the top of the door panel 13 by rivets 51 that extend through the member 47, the stiffening member 42 and the panel 13.

In order that the top door guiding members 47 may be utilized for controlling ther lateral movement of the top of the door 3, as the door is moved back and forth over the rollers 9, a guide rail 52 is provided of substantially Z-shape in section and comprising a depending flange 53 and a vertical flange 54 connected by a horizontal web 55. The vertical flange 54 of the guide rail 52 is secured to a beam 56 that extends across the top of the door opening 1. The beam 56 is also of substantially Z-shape in section. When the guide rail 52 is secured' to the door beam 56 in the manner shown in the drawings, the depending flange 53 of the rail overlaps the top side of the door 3Y and fits lbetween the fingers or prongs` 49 and 50 of the top door guiding members 47.

By this form of construction the rail 52 performs two functions; flrst, it controls the late eral movement of the top of the door within predetermined limits so that the door is maintained in a vertical position and second, it prevents rain, snow, burning cinders or sparks and the like, from entering the car through the top `of the door opening 1 when the door is in its closedposition. Since the staggered prongs 49 and 50 of the top-door guiding members 47 permit the door to move laterally toward or from the side wall of the car, the door may be pressed i tightly and rmly against the side wall when the door is closed, thereby completely closing the door opening 1 when the door is in the position shown in Figs. 1,'3 and 6 of the drawings.

While only one form of the door constructed in accordance with the invention has been shown, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed on the invention as are imposed by the prior art and the appended claims and that the invention as shown is to be taken as being merely illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A metal door comprising a plurality of panels having adjacent edges thereof overlapped and secured together, the ends of said panels being bent laterally from the body of said panels to provide a section through the sides of the door of angle shape,v door stiifening members secured to the inside of said ends of angle shape, and reinforcing members of pan shape secured to said door stiifening members and panels at the several overlapped edges of said panels.

2. A door comprising a plurality of panels having adjacent edges overlapped and secured together, said panels having horizontally and vertically extending sections of channel shape in thebody thereof and end sections of angle shape, vertically extending door stiflenng members secured to the ends of said panels on the inside faces of said end sections of angle shape, and reinforcing members of pan-shape secured to said door stiffening members and panels at the overlapped edges thereof.

3. A door comprising a plurality of panels having adjacent edges overlapped and joined together, the opposite ends of said panel being bent inwardly with respect to the outside of the body of the door, door stiifening members secured to said bent over ends on the inside thereof, and pan shaped members secured to said door stiffening members and panels at the overlapped edges of said panels.

HARRY T. ANDERSON. 

